Ingredients:

1 part longevity                                  1 part constant training
1 part teamwork                                1 part cost saving behaviors
1 part incentives                                1 part embracing change
1 part autonomy                                1 whole dedicated staff

Recipe for Success:  Mix equal parts under a watchful eye until you have the right blend for your liking.

Richard Teerlink, the longtime chairman and chief executive officer of the highly successful Harley Davison Motor Company, has said this about instilling a quality culture in an organization: “As a leader…your principal job is to create an operating environment where others can do great things.”  From the top of an organization down, management must understand that in order to ensure 0 PPM, they must not only recognize that every part matters, but that every employee who works to make that happen matters more.  Good leadership inspires quality metal stamping operations on the floor by motivating each and every employee to work toward his or her greatest capacity.

So what does it take to create an environment of instilling a quality culture to produce 0 parts per million? Follow these tried and true ingredients to have a recipe for success in your stamping operation.

Longevity.  Hire with longevity in mind.  One of the best ways to manage quality control in metal stamping and develop a quality culture is to have as little turnover on the floor of the shop as possible.  In a competitive market it is oftentimes a challenge to find and maintain skilled and qualified metal stamping employees.  Furthermore, in today’s competitive global market, companies must ask the hard question of whether or not it deserves the loyalty of its employees.  Management style is incredibly important in instilling a quality culture that allows for the greatest possible productivity and quality outcome.  Your aim should be to recruit, build, and maintain talent to establish a quality culture by focusing on leadership, motivation, and individual perspective. Set the bar high in the goal to achieve product perfection and customer satisfaction.  Hire good and talented individuals who will help to grow the company through their expertise.  At Ultraform Industries, we see firsthand the outcome of creating a quality culture as we are proud to say that all of our foremen have been with the company for 20+ years.

Teamwork.  Instill a quality culture in metal stamping by working as one team. Nothing enhances and increases productivity and accuracy better than giving each member of the team the knowledge and trust that their position is integral to the whole in order to support the mission of the company.  Every employee has value in what they do for the organization as a whole.  From management, engineering, production, tooling, and quality control, the team should sit down together to brainstorm, create, and problem-solve.  Each employee in each position has a unique perspective coming from his or her area of expertise, so rely on the idea that the only way to reach 0 PPM is to examine practices from each and every perspective and share expertise with one another across departments and positions in order to instill the greatest quality culture.

Incentives. Instilling a quality culture in metal stamping involves creating a cultural mindset of company and employee loyalty and pride in workmanship. Employees are loyal to a company when the company is loyal to them.  From awarding perfect attendance to personally singing Happy Birthday to each person on the floor, every employee should be acknowledged as an important part of the team. Owners and managers should know each employee as an individual and work to show each employee his or her importance.  A quality culture and efficient production are dependent on an employee’s loyalty and dedication to his or her position. There are many different ways to provide incentives to motivate employees to want to produce 0 PPM.  Once you have created your team where each voice feels heard, reward it by offering incentives for valuable contributions.  Anything from gift cards to company t-shirts to special parking spots and even a couple hours paid time off will really let your employees know you value the work they do.

Autonomy. Foster autonomy in the workplace.  Management encourages a lot of independence because we recognize people are motivated to achieve higher standards when there is buy-in because people know their ideas are heard.  If someone has a new idea, try it. Innovation is a key to success, so recognize that good ideas come from all departments and positions in the organization.

Constant Training. Your employees should engage in constant training both in-house and off-site.  Employees should be continually encouraged to receive training and then implement what they learned within their departments.  If each employee receives additional training on a regular basis and implements just one idea from what he or she learned, the organization grows and changes steadily, increasing production and efficiency.  Constant training also ensures that employees are on top of current trends and changes in operations in the industry which will allow them to make suggestions to improve the process of production, promoting an environment of 0 PPM by continually incorporating new machinery as well as ideas.

Cost Saving Behaviors.  Instilling a quality culture by valuing all members of the team impacts the bottom line.  Working as a metal stamping team from the floor up through management allows for a much more thorough understanding of operations and production.  When there is acknowledgement that each person matters, each person is then motivated to contribute to cost savings as a whole.  When an entire team sits down together, a more thorough review can be done, which impacts cost, efficiency, and quality overall.

Embracing Change.  It is sometimes challenging to embrace change and alter mindsets.  In order to instill a quality culture that encourages 0 PPM, adopt the policy of embracing change.  Rather than adhering to the old, believe in being a change agent. If a new practice or idea can be justified, attempt it.  Successful suggestions inspire more change and the business continues to grow.  Employees know that greater risks can be taken to benefit the business as a whole when management is willing to embrace change.

So, when it comes to making every part count in your metal stamping business or any organization, make sure to instill a quality culture where the recipe for success is to ensure that every person counts first. Begin with a dedicated staff, and fold in these 7 ingredients to instill a quality culture where the final outcome is exactly to your liking!